For nearly thirteen hours, FBI agents turned Biden’s residence in Wilmington, Delaware, inside out. Six documents were seized. The papers go back to Biden’s tenure as vice president under Barack Obama, and way back to his time as a senator. Previously, classified documents were found in an old office and in his garage.
The issue has begun to take increasingly painful shapes for Biden. The former officials are required by law to turn over sensitive materials to the state. One complicating factor is the parallel with the criminal investigation into his predecessor, Donald Trump.
In August, the FBI raided Trump’s home in Mar-a-Lago after months of controversy over the return of documents he took with him as president. Dozens were confiscated. Biden ruled harshly at the time. The president asked in a television interview: “How could something like this happen?” How could someone be so irresponsible? He’s getting that back in his face now.
“I believed the president when the first documents were found,” said Republican Congressman James Comer. “He accidentally put them in the wrong place.” This new discovery changes things, Kummer says, “from irresponsible to just plain terrifying.”
Accusations of dimming the moons
The White House missed no opportunity to stress the differences between the two cases. The state has never requested Biden’s documents, while Trump has ignored numerous warnings and even a subpoena. The Biden team has personally reported to justice and is cooperating with every investigation.
Special Counsel Robert Hoare is leading the investigation on behalf of the Department of Justice. And Saturday night, White House spokesman Ian Sams confirmed on television that the search was conducted with Biden’s “approval and cooperation.”
However, Biden has made himself very vulnerable to criticism. On November 2, 2022, prior to the midterm elections, classified documents were discovered by employees in Biden’s former office in Washington, D.C. A second disclosure took place on December 20 in Biden’s garage. The White House chose not to disclose it either way. The president is now facing accusations of hiding the satellites.
The original discovery was only revealed two months later after the news broke from CBS News. The Biden team acknowledged this discovery, but remained silent on the second finding. When NBC News reported again, the case made headlines for the second time. Now the counter is at three. For critics, this raises the question: How much more will come out?
‘Unacceptable’
“It seems like they’re finding more documents every day,” Republican Congressman Michael McCaul said Sunday. Republicans are using the case to question the fairness of the criminal investigations into former President Trump over the documents and his role in the January 6, 2021 storming of the Capitol. They describe those investigations as biased.
On Sunday, however, there was criticism of her. “I’m worried,” said Democratic Senator Dick Durbin. He described the appearance of the new documents as “unacceptable”. Sen. Joe Manchin said Biden “should have a great deal of remorse.” He called on the president to assume his “responsibility” and apologize.
Biden himself is still a little incoherent. “I follow what the lawyers want me to do,” he said at a news conference last week. Then Biden said he expected the issue to be “resolved quickly.” A day later, the FBI searched his home.
